MNfashion Week in Review: The Red Dress Collection

Text by Beth Hammarlund
Photos by Chris McDuffie

Move over, little black dress - in February, it's all about the little red dress. Already a fixture at New York Fashion Week, the Red Dress Collection made its way to downtown Minneapolis for the first time on Monday night with an all-local cast of designers and celebrity models. Carly Aplin of CW Twin Cities, MNfashion and the Heart Truth campaign, which promotes the little red dress to raise awareness of heart disease in women, presented a collection of 11 crimson gowns by some of the top local designers in the plush lounge of Seven. Throughout the evening, well-heeled crowd sipped on $18 Red Dress Cocktails (it's for a good cause, you guys) and perused a chic selection of items and packages for silent auction, with all proceeds from the silent auction and ticket sales going to The Women's Heart Clinic at the University of Minnesota.

Dresses were modeled by a variety of local luminaries - medical professionals, style editors, and philanthropists were paired with designers to create looks that married their personal styles with the designer's aesthetic. ROX Jewelry designer and former Fox 9 news anchor Robyne Robinson was the first to walk the runway in a layered gown by Rachel Blomgren.

Dress by Rachel Blomgren

Max Lohrbach gave one of his signature silhouettes an extra Valentine's Day punch in lipstick red. The result was sweet and flirty, and it was fun to see Lohrbach working with such a bright color.

Dress by Max Lohrbach

Sandy Simmons was poured into a floor-length gown by Adrienne Yancy of ArielSimone. Simmons was even more statuesque than usual, a testament to Yancy's tailoring ability. It fit like a sexy glove.

Dress by ArielSimone

Danielle Everine dressed Kaela Humphries (that's Kris' plus-size model sister) in a floaty red dress that could've gone a bit too conservative, but a racy thigh-high slit gave it just the right amount of sauciness. Everine hasn't done much plus-size design, but it couldn't have been much of a challenge to design for the stunning Humphries.

Dress by Danielle Everine

Landyn Hutchinson closed the show wearing the finale gown by Emma Berg. The show-stopping number was, without question, the highlight of the event. It was bold and romantic, and guests could barely take their eyes off of Hutchinson.

Dress by Emma Berg

Kudos to the organizers, designers, models, and volunteers for putting forth so much effort for a good cause. The Red Dress Collection's introduction to Minneapolis went off without a hitch, and hopefully we'll be able to attend this event again in the years to come.

Dress by Laura Fulk

Look by Christopher Straub

Dress by Sarah M. Holm

Dress by Tim Navarro